About Stamp

To celebrate the 100th Grey Cup Game this year, Canada Post has issued a full roster of team stamps, plus one to honour the cup itself.

Logos of the Canadian Football League™ teams grace a choice of eight different PERMANENT™ domestic coils. Exceptional games or events, one per team, are captured on commemoratives available in booklets of ten. Finally, a single stamp spotlighting the cup itself is also available.

According to stamp design manager Liz Wong, when you’re producing an issue that includes 17 stamps, ten Official First Day Covers, collectible strips from coils and more (see pages 8 to 23 for all the stamps and collectibles available) you need everyone to be moving the ball in the right direction. The stamps were designed by Bensimon Byrne, the official advertising agency for the CFL®. The agency also provided the written content for the booklets and OFDCs. According to Wong, “Working with a creative team that knew the CFL—and the history of the teams—was instrumental in producing an issue of this scale. Securing the rights and permissions alone was a huge undertaking, but we were lucky to have both the right players in place and the support of the CFL along the way. That made things go smoothly.”

In addition to giving collectors who love sports stamps a real “field” day, Canadian consumers and businesses can show where their football loyalties lay and kick off the season by using their team stamp on their mailings.

Toronto’s rich football history began in 1873, when the Toronto Argonauts* Football Club was formed by the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club. The Argonauts are one of the old oldest football clubs in North America and were pivotal in the early stages of development of Canadian style football.

The Argonauts excelled in the 30s and 40s, winning the Grey Cup® trophy twice in a row in 1937 and 1938. The Team also forged a three win dynasty beginning in 1945.

The 38th Grey Cup Game pitted the Argonauts against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Known as the Mud Bowl, this game was almost as famous for the football field as it was for the players.

The day before the game, an unexpected snowfall covered Toronto. On game day, warmer weather and heavy rain hampered efforts to remove the snow at Varsity Stadium. By kick-off, the playing field was a soaked and muddy mess. Rain fell throughout the game and the low score came as no surprise. Only one touchdown was scored in the entire game and Toronto prevailed 13-0, the last shutout in a Grey Cup Game.

After a Grey Cup win in 1952, over Edmonton, the Argonauts did not return to the championship game until 1971, which they lost to Calgary 14-11.

Toronto’s next Grey Cup victory would happen in 1983, when Toronto beat the BC Lions 18-17, denying BC’s hometown fans at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.

The 79th Grey Cup was particularly sweet for the Argonauts following the revitalization of the franchise with new owners Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky, and John Candy. The acquisition of Rocket Ismail added to a potent offence that defeated Calgary 36-21 in Winnipeg – the coldest Grey Cup game on record.

After a 4-14 record in 1995, the 1996 Argos made an amazing turnaround and went 15-3, storming their way to the championship game. Quarterback Doug Flutie guided the team to a 43-37 Grey Cup romp over Edmonton in a snowy game in Hamilton’s Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Repeating as champions is one of the most difficult accomplishments in professional sports. The 1997 season saw the emergence of speedy receiver SB Derrell Mitchell who helped lead the Argos to another 15-3 season. At the East Final in Toronto, Michael Clemons was the hero catching the game-winning TD with just 40 seconds on the clock. The Argonauts defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 47-23 in the Grey Cup.